Noise level: Loud, but it's a small price to pay for the falling-off-the-bone ribs and melt-in-your-mouth burnt ends.

FREDERICK — Ever since it opened, Longmont's Georgia Boys BBQ Shack has been a wildly popular spot for Southern barbecue. But there always seemed to be more customers than seats, so it makes sense the eatery has opened a much larger spinoff, the Smokehouse, in Frederick.

The new Smokehouse is an expansive, noisy joint, with takeout and counter service up front. In back, there's a sit-down dining room and sports bar with 22 beers on tap. On a recent Friday night, this venue was packed, and by the time my companions and I arrived, plenty of folks already were tucking into dinners of pulled pork, smoked turkey and ribs. While there are a few items such as grilled cheese and burger specials available, a quick glance around the room revealed classic barbecue meats were the undisputed favorite at most tables.

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Canadians might characterize the $8.50 brisket fries starter as American poutine, while Tex-Mex adherents might consider it an amped-up nacho platter, with fries subbing for tortilla chips. Whatever its origins, this appetizer won the guilty-pleasure prize thanks to a substantial bed of crisp fries topped with diced brisket and a melted-cheese latticework. Barbecue sauce, accented with pepper and cinnamon, contributed just the right sweet and smoky notes, making for a more nuanced dish than we had anticipated.

For main courses, my dining companions and I followed the purists' path by each ordering meat plates, which come with two sides and Texas toast. A $10.95 plate of pulled pork successfully defeated barbecue's mortal enemy — dry texture — and possessed smooth, correctly seasoned flavor. As far as the sides, a hunk of cornbread featured chunks of moderately spicy green chile and a pleasant, crumbly consistency. The other accompaniment, macaroni and cheese, was a straightforward preparation distinguished by a homespun richness that beats anything that's ever come out of a blue box.

I opted for a $12.95 plate loaded with hot links and brisket. The hot links weren't that fiery, and an appealing blend of garlic and herbs made a stronger positive impression than these high-quality sausages' heat. Sliced brisket was shot through with a lip-smacking ratio of meat-to-smoke flavor, but it did suffer from noticeable dryness. In addition to mac and cheese, I thoroughly enjoyed a side of earthy barbecue beans, which were weighty enough to be a meal on their own.

Best-in-show honors went to a $17.50 plate of burnt ends and a half slab of St. Louis-style pork spare ribs. The accompanying slaw was crisp but bland, and the side of potato salad was fine but didn't break any new ground. The meat though, more than made up for these minor shortcomings. Brisket-derived burnt ends, a staple of Kansas City barbecue, possessed melt-in-your-mouth qualities with succulent beef properly accented with charred smoky bits.

St. Louis ribs differ from regular spare ribs in that they have been trimmed of cartilage, bone and some meat to form a nearly rectangular rack. Slow smoking had worked its considerable magic, as the meat was both moist and falling-off-the-bone tender. The smoke perfume was spot on, and the pork passed the most critical test of top-shelf barbecue in that no additional sauce was required to enjoy these ribs.

For the most part, desserts here closely hew to Southern tradition. Our table was reasonably indifferent to a $6.50 donut topped with vanilla ice cream and chocolate despite the buildup that our server gave it. We were more favorably impressed with a $5 slice of bourbon pecan pie built upon a foundation of flaky crust that was light and buttery. Fresh-tasting filling, with its whispers of caramel, distinguished itself by being chock-full of nuts. Banana pudding comes in three sizes here, and the $4.25 small portion was the ideal way to end the meal. Satisfyingly creamy and sweet, this pudding possessed the perfect finishing touch of a garnish of comforting Nilla wafers.

The Smokehouse has big, if not smoky, shoes to fill, and it does a more-than-decent job of replicating the meats that have been such a draw for the Longmont Shack. Another strength of the Frederick venue is that there appears to be ample meat and sides available, so there's no danger of running out, which sometimes happens at the Shack. While the sides and desserts here might benefit from additional tweaking, this shouldn't prevent the ardent barbecue fan from stopping by the Smokehouse.

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